Barney hat-trick haunted Orient

Last updated : 19 June 2011 By exiledessexboy
Barnard: Season over?
Lee Barnard: Now a Saint, once a Shrimper
 
Friday, September 4th, 2009; A second half hat-trick by Lee Barnard gave the Shrimpers their first win of the season under the lights at Roots Hall.
 
When England regained the Ashes after last month at the Oval there was not the joyous celebrations that followed the 2005 win. That was after 18 long years.
 
When Southend beat Orient last season after 5 years without a win against our eastend neighbours, it took Dougie's third to sooth the nerves and allow the home crowd to relax.

Friday evening saw another 3-0 win and it was the team that started nervous, not surprising after a painful week, with the crowd getting behind the boys in Blue from the kick-off, applauding the team and management off at the end of another good result against the O's, beating them doesn't seem such a trail anymore, or that newsworthy.
 
With his new smaller but perfectly formed squad Blues boss Steve Tilson choose Johnny Herd at left-back for the departed White; Damien Scannell wide right in place of the suspended Christophe, moving Anthony Grant central midfield; Francis Laurent replaced the Swindon bound Alex Revell.
 
Orient were certainly the poorest team we've seen this season, they have suffered a few injuries, and Southend seemed to come down to their level in the first 45, certainly lacking the energy of the earlier games bar Walsall away, how this was due to the events of the week only the team could tell.
 
However, it was not long before Mr. Kettle got in the act, I wonder if he's ever apologised, when a clear trip on the busy Scannell by O's left back Charlie Daniels, who had a nightmare, was waved on when it looked easier to give a penalty.
 
Then the away side woke up and JJ Milligan shot wide, followed by another poor decision by Kettle, which allowed Jimmy Smith to fire in a free-kick that was parried away by big Steve Mildenhall and Herd, a safe game, nothing fancy, cleared the danger.
 
With minutes to go of the half Blues gave a hint of what was to come in the second 45 when Alan McCormack, all 200k of him, shot wide with his left foot after another Scannell run.
 
A Laurent pile driver on the edge of the right hand box was brilliantly tipped over by Orient's best player on the night, keeper Glen Morris.
 
Finally, making his full home debut, Sunderland loanee Jean-Yves M'Voto, climbed above everybody in the box and headed just over from a Moose corner.
 
M'Voto looked calm under pressure and is not going to be pushed off the ball easily.
 
In fact, one of Mr. Kettle's many laughable moments was when an Orient player simply bounced off the Frenchman and Kettle gave a free-kick against him. You had to be there. No Dervite with his passing, he prefers simple three yard passes to his midfield, and looks no worse for it.
 
An Orient fan on the train home was overheard saying: "it was fairly even in the first half but the second we might well as not been there". Slightly harsh but not by much. I don't know what T&B said but we were dominant in a way we have been for periods in previous matches but this time had goals to show for it, and more important kept a clean sheet at the other end.
 
In an early period of Shrimpers pressure Scannel seemed to knee the ball over the bar when it called for a calmer finish. Macca ran onto a brilliant pass from Laurent but shot straight at Morris who held on well. What seemed to be pinpoint breaks made by Barnard and Laurent were continually being stopped in their tracks by the raised flag of the assistant running the West Bank line.
 
It certainly felt that a goal would come any moment.
 
Mildenhall first had to make one of those saves only he can make when a Andros Townsend half volley was rebounded off Big Steve's body with him not knowing much about it, doesn't matter, he kept it out, and Blues went up the other end to finally break the deadlock just before the hour.
 
Stephen Purches, another Orient failure at the back, decided to push Lee Barnard over in the box, Mr. Kettle pointed to the spot.
 
Unlike the Scannell incident I kept to my seat and was generally surprised when Kettle gave it, but a Shrimper on the train, who had sat in the south bank, was asked by several Orient supporters if it was, "definitly" he answered definintly. And that's good enough for me.
 
Still, Kettle is never one to shun the limelight and as we celebrated another brilliant Barnard spot-kick, "encroachment" said the ever-popular referee and he had to take it again.
 
The good Lord said a prayer, maybe, and placed the ball confidently into the opposite left-hand corner, 1-0.
 
The game was as good as over with Scannell heading straight at Morris while Barnard, the former Orient loanee was just on fire in the second period, not bad for a 'good forward line' Uncle Ron, went on a mazy run which finally saw him shoot into the side-netting.
 
The away side did have the ball in the net in the 76th minute, Smith finishing well from close range, after Adrian Patulea's shot had brought out the best in Mildenhall, but the offside flag had been raised before the original shot.
 
Two minutes later we were up the other end with skipper Adam Barrett finding himself alone in the penalty area, he looked up, saw a completely unmarked Barnard standing six yards out from the left hand post, and placed an accurate cross directly onto his head, 2-0.
 
With ten minutes left an unstoppable Barney had the ball in the back of the net once again with a lovely finish but the linesman called offside.
 
It was in the stars though that the good Lord would get his hat-trick and if there could be some argument between a guy by the corner flag and Barnard himself who scored in the 90th minute, such was the deflection from his shot on the edge of the area, though nobody in the home sections was going to deny him the match-ball, especially if you had a bet on it, 3-0. (Take a bow Luke Ashworth, for it was his back that placed the ball goalbound.)
 
Five minutes of stoppage time allowed the Moose to go close as the crowd called for four while waving home the departing Eastenders, gaps in the North Bank having started to appear as early as the second goal.
 
There was a protest of sorts near the end, if six angry blokes and a large towel can be called a protest, but the rest stayed to applaud the team and Tilly seemed generally chuffed at the reaction of the crowd and his team, knowing this could be a real turning point in the season, especially with the all-conquering Leeds at the Hall next Friday.
 
Time for a pint in a burger in the Railway watching the Orient fans being kept behind by rabid police dogs until the 22.08 turned up at Prittlewell.
 
More on that to follow. For now, quiet satisfaction that Blues showed they were made of the right stuff where it mattered, on the pitch.
 
Southend United: Mildenhall - 6, Francis - 6, M'Voto - 8, Barrett - 7, Herd - 6, Scannell - 7 (Sawyer 71 - 7), Grant - 8, McCormack - 7 (Walker 88), Moussa - 7, Barnard - 9, Laurent - 7 (Freedman 80 - 6).
 
Subs not used: Sankofa, O'Keefe (blimey, who would have gone in goal then?)
 
Leyton Orient: Morris, Purches, Mkandawire, Ashworth (booked 25,) Melligan (Pires 80), Chambers (O'Leary 68), McGleish, Daniels, Jarvis, Smith, Townsend (Patulea 63).
 
Subs not used: Jones, Cave-Brown, Baker, Scowcroft.

Attendance: 8836 (of which 1656 were Orient fans)
 
Referee: Trevor Kettle (Berkshire, you couldn't make that up) - 6.
 
Meanwhile, enjoy. Southend United, play-off contenders.  (And still good to see a goal difference in credit however early in the season.)
 
9 Southend United 6   1 2 0 5 2   0 2 1 4 5   1 4 1 9 7   7 +2
10 Millwall 5   1 2 0 3 1   0 2 0 1 1   1 4 0 4 2   7 +2
11 Hartlepool United 6   0 0 3 1 6   2 1 0 4 0   2 1 3 5 6   7 -1
12 Norwich City 5   1 0 1 6 9   1 1 1 4 3   2 1 2 10 12   7 -2
13 Oldham Athletic 6   0 2 1 2 5   1 1 1 3 4   1 3 2 5 9   6 -4
14 Yeovil Town 5   1 1 0 5 3   0 1 2 3 5   1 2 2 8 8   5 0
15 Stockport County 5   0 1 2 2 5   1 1 0 4 2   1 2 2 6 7   5 -1
16 Exeter City 5   0 2 1 3 4   1 0 1 2 2   1 2 2 5 6   5 -1
17 Carlisle United 5   0 0 2 1 4   1 2 0 4 3   1 2 2 5 7   5 -2
18 Walsall 5   0 2 1 3 4   1 0 1 1 2   1 2 2 4 6   5 -2
19 Leyton Orient 6   0 1 2 4 6   1 1 1 5 7   1 2 3 9 13   5 -4
 
(Blimey, look at Norwich only 15 months ago, belief people!)
 
The Carling Cup First Round Draw: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk
 
(Report by Chris Daniels, first appeared in The Little Gazette; Friday, September 4th, 2009)